At this moment, John was unaware of the external developments.
He was currently in the tenth layer of the trial, vexed by a particular issue.
Damn it, why are there flying monsters in this trial?!
John was standing atop a towering peak, with less than a hundred square meters of space beneath his feet, surrounded by sheer cliffs.
Looking down, he could see only a vast sea of clouds, with no ground in sight.
Not far from John, in mid-air, a creature with blood-red bat wings, purplish skin, a humanoid figure but with sharp fangs, was relentlessly launching skills at him.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"...
It continuously flapped its wings, hurling clusters of blood-red flames and crimson wind blades at John as if they cost nothing.
John could only dodge incessantly.
Usually, he was the one using others as targets, but now the tables had turned, and he found himself in the role of the target.
[Name: Bloodwing Slaughterer (trial)]
[Level: Lv15]
[HP: 140,000]
[Spirit: 1710]
[Strength: 1589]
[Defense: 671]
[Speed: 501]
[Skills: Crimson Wind Slash, Bloodthirsty Demonic Transformation, Shadow Snatch, Frenzy, Blood Flame, Steel Wings...]
...
John had also tried to retaliate, but his offensive skills were easily dodged by the opponent, and even when they did hit, they were blocked by the creature's bat wings.
This led to a rather awkward situation where he could only take hits without being able to inflict any damage.
Moreover, as the opponent destroyed the mountain peak beneath him, the raging blood-colored flames continued to shrink his maneuvering space.
Most crucially, John's condition was not good.
Although he had quickly passed through the eleventh layer of the trial, he had expended a lot of HP and MP.
Recovery potions couldn't be used in the trial, and John reckoned that if this continued, he would eventually be doomed.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer seemed fully aware of John's predicament, its face wearing a mocking expression.
Its crimson vertical pupils stared at John as if looking at prey it was toying with.
The Bloodwing Slaughterer spoke with a taunting tone, "Is that all you've got? Compared to that Godkeep who possesses my lord's inheritance, you're far too weak."
John looked at the Bloodwing Slaughterer, his eyes narrowing slightly.
As it spoke, its hand radiated blood light, and a long spear wreathed in blood energy appeared in its grasp.
Its body began to rapidly transform, with black scales surfacing on its skin and its stature swiftly increasing.
Its originally somewhat normal face gradually became incredibly fierce and horrifying.
In just the blink of an eye, the Bloodwing Slaughterer, previously in a human form, had transformed into a monstrous figure with a green face, sharp fangs, three meters tall, and with a pair of wings on its back!
"Bloodthirsty Demonic Transformation!"
The transformed Bloodwing Slaughterer didn't halt its actions.
A rich blood light suddenly emerged around it, and its figure vanished from the spot, leaving only its maniacal laughter echoing in John's ears.
Laughing crazily, the Bloodwing Slaughterer said, "Since you're so eager to die, I shall grant your wish!"
"Frenzy!" "Shadow Snatch!"
As its words fell, the Bloodwing Slaughterer's figure had already appeared behind John, its blood-red spear striking like a venomous snake, viciously aiming for John's back.
John seemed unguarded but was actually fully prepared.
As the Bloodwing Slaughterer's spear thrust towards him, a streak of blood light flashed across the "One-Eyed Lich King's Furious Bracers" on John's wrist.
Immediately, a dense blood light radiated from John, releasing a wildly ferocious aura that was in no way inferior to the Bloodwing Slaughterer's!
"Berserk Transformation!"
In the astonished gaze of the Bloodwing Slaughterer, John twisted his body to face it, his ice spear turning into a streak of light, boldly colliding with the blood-red spear in its hand!
"Boom!!!"
The immense force of the collision spread out from the center where the two stood, causing the stones beneath their feet to shatter loudly.
The blood-colored flames that had been raging around them were instantly swept away by the fierce wind!
As the dust settled, John's ice spear forcefully blocked the Bloodwing Slaughterer's blood-red spear, not yielding an inch!
The Bloodwing Slaughterer's eyes widened in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend what it was witnessing.
"How is this possible?!" it exclaimed in shock.
This individual was clearly a magus, yet he had managed to staunchly resist its attack!
Had it not been for witnessing John use magus skills earlier, the Bloodwing Slaughterer would have had no doubts in believing he was a strength-based warrior.
Noticing the astonishment in the Bloodwing Slaughterer's eyes, a curve formed on John's lips.
His intention in provoking this creature was precisely to circumvent his own inability to fight in mid-air, compelling the Bloodwing Slaughterer to engage him in direct combat.
At that moment, he could rely on his Gold Mail Armor and Berserk skill to deliver a significant surprise!
Whether the Bloodwing Slaughterer was pleasantly surprised, John couldn't tell, but its shocked expression was unmistakable.
Seizing this rare opportunity, John's eyes suddenly gleamed with a dark light!
"Dark Marsh!"